Ceiling is Jari Kurri trophy if he doesn't take his father's NHL-found path to professionalism.
Gamble to take someone who has been part of the recently founded rebel alliance forming inside the Finnish team's participating in U-20 WJC tournaments.
RW Kasperi Kapanen (2014, 22nd, PIT; traded to TOR)
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Ceiling is Jari Kurri trophy if he doesn't take his father's NHL-found path to professionalism.
Gamble to take someone who has been part of the recently founded rebel alliance forming inside the Finnish team's participating in U-20 WJC tournaments.
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
Top 6 winger, ceiling is the top line but he's unlikely to reach that. No defensive game to speak of now, but given who his father is and his acknowledgement that it's an issue I expect it to be the primary focus of his game in the coming seasons.
I love his game and I've been following him since he was on KalPa's junior team, so from a personal standpoint losing him hurts (I'm happy overall, mind you).
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
Is not and never has been...top 20, absolutely in my book (higher on him than most anybody, mind you).
Brewsky
King Of The Ice Mugs
Flyerss
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2013
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McDavid,Eichel,Reinhart,Hanifin,Marner and let's add Nylander.
Good luck proving your point against those guys.
I could name a lot of guys majority would take before Kasperi.
Leaf Rocket
Leaf Fan Till I Die
he's joking because he's a leaf prospect and now the overrating will come.
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
Gotcha.
Yeah, the middle ground for Kapanen didn't exist when he was a Penguin (definition of a love/hate prospect), that's only going to get worse now.
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
AHL or Liiga. I think he's leaning to the AHL, but the fact that his father does own the Finnish team he plays for does come into play.
No later than 2016, though, and I expect him to come over for this season. If he doesn't it's hardly a worst case scenario as he's playing with and against men in a good league, but it may be good for him to get out of the tiny city where his family is effectively royalty.
edit: There's no way Harrington plays for the Marlies next year. He was ticketed for the Pens third pairing before getting dealt, he's done all he can do in the AHL (the Harrington-Chorney pairing allowed a whopping 5 goals last season).
VictorLustig
Registered User
- Feb 8, 2012
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Said a few weeks ago that he is not returning to Finland and will play in AHL
http://www.savonsanomat.fi/urheilu/jaakiekko/kasperi-kapanen-pelaa-ensi-kauden-amerikassa/2066209
http://www.savonsanomat.fi/urheilu/jaakiekko/kasperi-kapanen-pelaa-ensi-kauden-amerikassa/2066209
Nice. Hopefully the scouting reports and rankings on him being as good as Nylander are true. We are going to need someone from this trade to be a steal and Kapanen looks like the best shot we have at that barring Pittsburgh missing the playoffs.
Well thats a dumb response. He literally almost made the Pens as an 18 year old.. not out of the question that he makes the Leafs at 19. Obviously he'd most likely be in the AHL, but I think he'll get games in the NHL.
Stolie the Goalie
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- Oct 29, 2010
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Asked and answered. Not sure what you were expecting.
Apparently I'm dumb for disagreeing with you
Yeah, he now goes from a decent prospect to a can't miss 1st line winger that was a steal. I think we were all saying Sprong, Murray, and him were all on the same level for top Pens prospect, we still have the other 2 so it's not bad at all. Kapanen is quick, great hands, can deke inside a phone booth, but needs to get stronger, get better along the boards and get better with his play away from the puck and not disappear when the puck isn't on his stick, he also relies too much on the nifty stick work and can often lose sight of his linemates and make them more effective on his line.
Very much so. Pens just got another kid like that his year, but I don't know which one I like better between him and Sprong, Sprong for me plays with better consistency.
Stephen23
Registered User
Can't wait to watch him play on the Marlies with Nylander, Brown, Leipsic and Puzzles the Goat.
Sundqvist almost made the Penguins. Kapanen was a "should we? we need talent...but he's not ready at all" kind of last cut. Sundqvist was the kid that the team really was torn on sending back to Europe.
I think he'd much better served by polishing his game in the AHL for at least half a year.
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